Table 1.
Summary of the Microenvironment-derived components with value as liquid biopsy biomarkers in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients.
| Soluble Factors in Blood | Involvement | References |
|---|---|---|
| Matrix metalloproteinase | With diagnostic value | [26,170] |
| Collagens | Higher levels in CRC patients than in healthy controls | [171,172,173] |
| Endostatin | Higher levels in advanced CRC patients | [174] |
| TIMP-1 + metalloproteinases | Prediction of patients survival | [175] |
| CAF Exosomes as Biomarkers | ||
| Non-coding RNAs signature | Regulatory elements specifically packaged in CAF-derived exosomes | [18] |
| miR-92a-3p | Higher levels associated with metastases and chemoresistance | [105] |
| microRNA signature | Regulation of tumor cell, proliferation, and chemoresistance | [106] |
| Circulating Endothelial Cells (CECs) | ||
| Identification and quantification of CECs | Monitoring clinical response and outcome | [176,177,178] |
| CD276 | Increase expression in tumor-derived endothelial cells | [179] |
| Transcriptomic analysis | Differentiation between healthy controls and CRC early stages | [180] |
| Quantification of CECs | Identification of early predictors of response to bevacizumab and FOLFOX/OXXEL | [181] |
| Circulating Immune Cells | ||
| Treg, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte rate | Identification of CRC patients versus healthy controls | [182,183,184] |
| Immune checkpoints and clinical outcome | Association with diagnosis and metastasis | [185,186] |
| Mucosal-associated invariant T cells | Increase number in CRC patients versus healthy controls | [187] |